Winner report
Catlin's 64 wins Hong Kong Open by five as LIV co-leaders fade
John Catlin, the only non-LIV player in Sunday's lead, won at −20 and earned his first Masters invitation. Matthew Cheung's share of second is the best finish by a Hong Kong golfer in the event's history.
John Catlin shot 64 at Hong Kong Golf Club on Sunday to win the Link Hong Kong Open by five shots at −20. Thomas Pieters and Caleb Surratt, the two LIV players who began the day level with him at −14, both shot 72. Anirban Lahiri, a shot further back, took a double bogey at the 1st and shot 74.
Catlin’s only dropped shot came at the par-three 5th. He made seven birdies, five of them on the back nine. At the 14th he hit a 120-yard approach from thick grass to set up one of them, Reuters reported. He had played the event four times before without winning it.
The cheque was US$360,000, and the title carries an invitation to the 2027 Masters, Catlin’s first, and a start at St Andrews in the 155th Open next July. He has played four Opens and made the cut once, tying for 16th at Royal Troon in 2024. “To finally be at the Masters, speechless,” Catlin said. He is 35, American and based in Hua Hin, Thailand, when he plays in Asia.
It is his seventh Asian Tour title and his first since the 2024 Saudi Open. The Asian Tour counts it as his sixth national open. The 787.5 Order of Merit points lift him to fourth, behind Pavit Tangkamolprasert, Travis Smyth and Ian Snyman. Pavit kept his lead despite tying for 73rd. The season ends in two weeks at the Philippine Open, which has a US$1 million purse.
Matthew Cheung shot 67 to share second with Kalle Samooja at −15. Cheung, 31, shared the lead after 36 holes and began Sunday two behind. Samooja went to the 18th a shot ahead of Cheung and bogeyed it. “Unfortunately, John played really well as well. So, it is what it is,” Cheung said. No Hong Kong golfer had previously finished higher than Dominique Boulet’s fourth place in 1996, and a record five Hong Kong players made the cut.
Lahiri began the final round on −13, one behind the leaders, after a one-shot penalty for inadvertently moving his ball before a chip at the 18th on Saturday, GolfMagic reported. He tied for 17th at −9.
Sunday was also the day LIV’s players had to tell the league whether they would play in its 2027 relaunch. Pieters has said he will not, and he is without DP World Tour status for 2027. Victory would have given him starts at the Masters and the Open. His tie for sixth leaves him heading for the second stage of qualifying school in Spain, which starts on 29 October.
Final leaderboard
Leading finishers; the full results are on the Asian Tour site.
| Pos | Player | Score | Final round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Catlin (USA) | −20 | 64 |
| T2 | Matthew Cheung (Hong Kong) | −15 | 67 |
| T2 | Kalle Samooja (Finland) | −15 | 67 |
| T4 | Jazz Janewattananond (Thailand) | −13 | 66 |
| T4 | Nick Voke (New Zealand) | −13 | 68 |
| T6 | Thomas Pieters (Belgium) | −12 | 72 |
| T6 | Caleb Surratt (USA) | −12 | 72 |
| T6 | Sampson Zheng (China) | −12 | – |
| T17 | Anirban Lahiri (India) | −9 | 74 |
Sources
- Asian Tour: Catlin joins many of the game’s greatest as winner of Link Hong Kong Open
- Reuters via WBOW: Clinical Catlin triumphs in Hong Kong Open
- Kuwait Times: Catlin cruises to Hong Kong Open win and Masters debut
- RTHK: John Catlin wins HK golf open in dominant fashion
- DotDotNews: John Catlin wins Link Hong Kong Open, Matthew Cheung makes history
- GolfMagic: LIV Golf pro endures final-round disaster after penalty
- Sports Bytes Philippines: Catlin’s Hong Kong Open win sets up Asian Tour money race
- Wikipedia: John Catlin (golfer)
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